Monday Apple Rumors: iPhone Keeps 400K Subscribers at T-Mobile

by Christopher Freeburn | August 5, 2013 12:50 pm

[1][2]Here are your Apple rumors[3] and AAPL news items for today:

Big Numbers: Adding Apple‘s (AAPL[4]) iPhone to its array of mobile devices did a lot to boost the bottom line at the nation’s fourth-largest wireless carrier[5], the Wall Street Journal notes. An analysis of T-Mobile‘s (TMUS[6]) second quarter results by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners found that between 300,000 and 400,000 of the carrier’s customers would likely have defected to other carriers without the iPhone. T-Mobile was the last major U.S. carrier to negotiate a deal with Apple, finally bringing the iPhone to its network almost six years after the ground-breaking smartphone was first launched. Even prior to adding the iPhone, about 22% of T-Mobile users were using unlocked iPhones on its network. T-Mobile reported “gangbuster” sales on the first day it offered the iPhone 5 in April. During the first 30 days after the launch, the carrier said it sold more than 500,000 iPhones.

Rejected: The White House has vetoed a ban on the sale of older iPhones and iPads[7], USA TODAY notes. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, acting on behalf of President Barack Obama, has struck down a prohibition on imports of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G issued by the U.S. International Trade Commission. The ITC ordered the ban after ruling that Apple had infringed on certain technology patents held by Samsung. In a letter to the ITC, Fromen said Samsung could continue to seek redress for the patent violations in court. Samsung issued a statement expressing disappointment in Froman’s decision. The South Korean government also issued a statement[8] indicating that it would be watching an upcoming decision on a possible ban of certain Samsung products and hoped to see a “fair and reasonable decision” in that case, the Wall Street Journal notes.

Pricey Fruit: An Australian woman was tricked by scammers when she tried to purchase two iPhones through a website[9], the Times of India notes. The unidentified woman advertised her desire to purchase two iPhones on GumTree. After she was contacted by a potential seller, the woman went to the parking lot of a local McDonald’s (MCD[10]), where she handed over $1,200 for what appeared to be two brand new iPhone boxes. She did not open the boxes at the time of the exchange. When she returned home, she discovered that the boxes each contained an actual apple and not an iPhone. A local police official said that people needed to exercise caution when buying things online. “If something seems to good to be true, it probably is,” he noted.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors[11] stories.